Residents press Collierville officials on screening for new development and unsanitary conditions at Laurelwood Apartments

Two residents used the public-comment period May 11 to raise neighborhood concerns.

Gustavo Kornitz, who lives in Porter Farms Phase 7 adjacent to the proposed water-tower Phase 2 site, thanked staff and commissions for prior work on site conditions and urged the town and developer to preserve the wooded buffer along the property's western edge. Kornitz asked the town and developer to consider relocating a planned trash compactor farther from the residential edge — near an existing hotel service area — because of concerns about noise, odors, lighting and truck activity. He urged the town and developer to go beyond minimum screening requirements during final site-plan review to ensure long-term compatibility with the adjacent neighborhood.

Christina Ray, a resident of Laurelwood Apartments in the Historic District, described alleged unsanitary living conditions including black mold in ceilings and vents, widespread sickness among residents, multiple ambulance responses and what she said were unaddressed maintenance requests. Ray said she had water testing through town staff and had documentation she would provide; Mayor Frazier and staff advised code enforcement and the community-and-economic-development director could follow up and suggested Ray leave copies of her documentation for staff review. Town staff said the financial or income-based housing calculations are outside town jurisdiction but that code enforcement would investigate health concerns that fall under the town’s authority.

Both comments prompted staff assurances that the town would look into code-enforcement and screening options; staff also suggested legal counsel for the housing-management/financial question. Kornitz and Ray asked the board to consider stronger protections during final site-plan review and follow-up action on housing conditions.